About Me

I am an associate professor in the College of Education at Kansas State University. My PhD is in Leadership and Policy Studies from the Department of Leadership, Policy, and Organizations at Vanderbilt University. My research interests include teacher leadership and school improvement, teacher policy and teacher labor market, and financial aid and postsecondary success. I taught middle and high school math for seven years in St. Louis, Missouri. I hold a dual-degree in Math and Physics from the University of Oklahoma and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Washington University in St. Louis.

As an instructor I am attentive to the ways in which students’ current knowledge can be built upon to help master the course content. By adopting a variety of instructional techniques and student supports, I strive to impart my love of learning to students and to leave students with a strong knowledge base that they can apply to real world problems. My previous experiences, including seven years of experience teaching mathematics at the secondary level, have prepared me to teach and work with students from diverse backgrounds and in a variety of settings.

For more than the decade that I have been involved in education as a secondary teacher and as a graduate student in education policy and leadership, I have had had strong interests in issues of diversity and equity. From my experience as a teacher, and graduate training and research, I have learned that diversity and equity issues are not secondary but rather, they require constant commitment and examination. I aim to conduct research that is committed to studying issues of social equity, to promote student learning grounded in diverse backgrounds, and to provide mentoring and guidance for graduate students, particularly those from underrepresented groups.

Research

(1) Investigating teacher leadership and school improvement in a research-practice partnership; (2) teacher policies and teacher labor markets; and (3) distribution of financial aid and its effects on postsecondary persistence and degree attainment.

Here is my website examining the issue of teacher shortages in the U.S.: www.teachershortages.com

Policy briefs and other products

My policy briefs at the state and local levels and other products and non-referred publications.

Teaching resources

Teaching resources that I have created and can be shared publicly.

Media mentions

How my work has been communicated in the media and popular press. Here are some example video footages. Contact me at nguyetd1@ksu.edu about speaking engagement.

PBS's I've Got Issues: Kansas teacher shortage

NBC Today Show: National teacher shortage

SciLine AAAS: Teacher turnover and teacher shortages

Scripp News: Teacher turnover and shortage

Newsy Weekend Update: Teacher shortage

Educate Kansas: Retention Summit

You can contact me via email at nguyetd1@ksu.edu.